Head Of Story Jobs

Company Overview

Kuku Studios is a storytelling house focused on creating characters, experiences, and stories that enrich people’s lives. Whether it’s a feature film, an episodic series, or a VR narrative, we believe telling stories is a big responsibility. Stories should not only delight and entertain, but also challenge us to grow. At Kuku Studios, we’re committed to crafting content that captures truth and meaning in the stories we tell.

Job Summary

We're currently looking for an inspirational Head of Story to join our leadership team here in Berkeley, CA to work on our Netflix Original Series, Go! Go! Cory Carson! We are looking for an artist and leader who is enthusiastic about working at a smaller studio where they'll have the opportunity to supervise a Story Department that is tasked with writing, pitching, and boarding ideas from start to finish. Our ideal Head of Story candidate is not only an excellent and accomplished Story Artist in their own right, but is also a committed leader and mentor excited to work closely with the Story Department Manager to develop the skills and talents of the Story Artists, to keep the department on schedule, and to achieve the overall creative vision of the series. The Head of Story will also collaborate with the Showrunners and Producer to achieve these same goals.

Our Showrunners are themselves veteran Story Artists who have worked in the Story Departments of several animated feature films at Pixar Animation Studios. As a result, they are committed to creating a collaborative story process that provides for the best artist experience possible. Our goal is to create space for the team to grow artistically, contribute in meaningful ways, maintain creative ownership over their episodes, and have fun while doing it.

The show's story and writing process is storyboard driven--meaning the Story Department will play a significant role in crafting the show. The Story Department will be given basic episode outlines and will be responsible for writing and storyboarding their episodes; pitching their episodes to the Showrunners and Story team; and collaborating with the team to "plus" the material.

We are looking for candidates who not only have the qualifications listed further below, but who are also excited to work independently as part of a small company.

Responsibilities And Duties

• Casting artists onto assignments
• Partner with Story Department Manager, Showrunners, and Producer to achieve the artistic and production objectives of the show
• And, of course, be willing and able to contribute to the production as a Story Artist with the following responsibilties:
• Pitch material weekly to Story team, Showrunners, and other team members
• Partner with Story Department Manager to supervise the Story Department by overseeing the following:
• Re-work episodes multiple times in Story and in Editorial
• Support with Development material at the studio
• Helping the artists and department stick to the schedule
• Work with Showrunners to craft episodes from simple outlines, scripts, or even just a prompt
• Developing the artists through guidance, mentorship, and skills training

Qualifications And Skills

• Proven leadership and mentorship experience preferred
• Take direction and feedback well and implement it into work consistently
• Storytelling and writing skill set showing strong understanding of character, comedy, and narrative structure
• The following essential Storyboarding skills and abilities as clearly shown in a Story Artist Portfolio:
• Flexible with constantly changing production schedules and needs
• 5+ years of professional experience preferred
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Ability to work collaboratively
• Artistic skill set showing strong draftsmanship, command over layout and staging, and the ability to show action through clear drawings
• Comfortable working in a fast paced environment with tight turnarounds
• Proficiency with drawing and storyboarding software (e.g. Photoshop, Storyboard Pro, etc.)
• Minimum of 3-5 years of professional experience as a Story Artist

Benefits

• Health, Dental, & Vision Insurance
• 401(k) with Employer Matching Contributions
• Company Holiday Schedule
• Life, AD&D, and Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Kuku Studios, while a small company, offers a Benefits package that includes:
• All at levels striving to be on par with the larger animation studios!
• PTO Policy

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